A quote that I had to share.

A Typical Church Service:

Mild mannered members listening to mild-mannered preachers delivering mild-mannered sermons on how to be more mild-mannered.

Can they afford to give?

My church is in a low to middle-low income area. The first thought that might come to mind regarding stewardship is that once saved, (this is key) these people would have no money to give for tithes and offerings. This is a wrong thought.

First & foremost, there is the biblical promise for those who tithe (tenth) - God opening the storehouses of heaven. So if you make $1 you give $0.10 - this is the minimum standard from the Old Testament just like "thou shall not murder." Since this is in the Bible, it will be preached from my pulpit. Saved people tithe, at the very least.

The following list stems from the new attributes that I believe that believers who become part of the living body of Christ (the church) will receive. Here's how I think these attributes will affect (effect?) folks in the lower income bracket.

1. Lottery Tickets / Gambling

The stats might surprise you, but I found that almost all income levels equally participate in this expensive and greed driven form of "entertainment". Yet, it costs low income folks a bigger chunk of their income.

2. Substance abuse

Marijuana and Meth can get expensive...also contributing to employment performance.

3. Payday Loans / Check Cashing Fees

Why don't you see these establishments in "rich" neighborhoods? Because the owners get rich and don't want their business close to home or their rich friends would get angry at them for their high fees. People are also paying 1-4% to get their paychecks cashed at places other than banks. Christians place a high value on "a good name" - possibly translating into our society as "good credit". Christians won't sign their names to checks for which they don't have money. This should increase good banking.

4. Coinstar is taking 9%

The existence of these change counting (and charging!) machines blow my mind, because banks will do it for free. (I have a credit union account that i've had open since high school that only has $5 in it - they'll gladly count my coins for free.) You'll find these in every grocery store in my struggling small city.

5. Groceries

Potlucks can fill a man or woman from Sunday - Tuesday. Also, increased hospitality.

6. Selling their luxurious possessions

There is no shortage of flat screen HDTVs in my neighborhood. Don't believe me? Take your dog for a walk through a shoddy neighborhood at night and peek in the windows - you won't find too many 13" TVs. (Busy at night? During the day you can see the satellite dishes on the south sides of their houses)

7. Discontinue buying champagne on beer budgets

Between gainful employment, my dad sold pricey frozen foods and meat door to door. (sort of a upscale regional Schwann man) We couldn't afford any of what he sold. So where did he find his biggest sales? Trailer parks and shoddy neighborhoods. These low-income folks would splurge to eat cuts and wraps of beef and pork that you've never imagined This could stop, I think the Bible says something about eating hot dogs.

8...9? Your Comments Here.

One final story, when I was pastoring in Ohio a gentlemen stopped by the church needing help to make the brakes on his car safe. This played off of my mechanical interest, so I took a short and horrifying trip around the parking lot and decided for the good of the community that I would help this guy out. After $20 worth of brake pads and an hour of work, or maybe it was on the trip to the auto parts store that this guy asked me, "Can you help me with some money?" "For what?" I replied. "My landlord has cut my cable off, and I need $15. " (Apparently the landlord was splicing cable for his tenants) At this point in my life, I was making good money for a young pastor, and Jill was working as a nurse - we were not broke. WE DIDN'T HAVE CABLE - somewhat as a lifestyle choice, but mostly as a cost-saver. After telling him that our church tries to help with NEEDS- food, water, safety issues, etc - he tried to make the argument for cable TV being a neccesity. This continued even after I let him know that I wasn't currently enjoying cable tv. I think I probably laughed. I didn't change his mind - cable tv was on par with food/water. I'm sure I laughed. Then he stabbed me with a knife...not really...that would have made the story a little more interesting.

Few will succeed in helping others rearrange their financial thoughtfulness and value systems. People must be born again. I'm praying that my church will be successful in seeing people saved, and we will make sure that their wallets get baptized too.

It's in there

Luke 22:36 "He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one."

If I haven't read every page of the Bible at least once, I've read at least 90% of it. I've read the book of Luke numerous times, & never really digested the preceding verse. I like it. Here is a biblical mandate for buying weapons, from the lips of Jesus. Ok, mandate may be a little bit of a stretch, but at least an allowance?

My New Favorite Illustration

Once upon a time some visitors took a tour of an oil refinery. The tour guide showed them all the intricacies of the refining process. The vast catalyst chambers, the pipes, the heating vats – everything that went into the refining of oil. As the tour ended, one of the visitors asked the tour guide a simple question. “Sir, you shoed us everything except the shipping department. This size oil refinery processes a huge amount of petroleum, turning it into gasoline and lubricants. But you haven’t showed us where it’s all put into containers and shipped out to the world.”
“Well you see,” said the tour guide, “ we don’t have a shipping department. Everything that is produced in this refinery is used up as energy to keep the refinery going.”

Application
The church has to understand that what it does is for the world, not just to keep itself going. Too many programs that churches run exist for no other purpose than to keep the church going. The purpose of the church is not to sustain itself, but to give what it has away to the world.

Your Church Needs More "Old People"

Many people might make a compelling case for why their church needs more young people. Here are some reasons your church does not have enough "Old people":

They have skills that are rare. Do you know how to prepare a live chicken to eat for dinner? They probably do. Do you know how to make maple syrup? They might.

They're more grateful. Change a lightbulb at your 20 year old friend's house when you're there & compare that reaction with the reaction of an 82 year old.

Life lessons, or principles. If old people had young bodies again they would go live and change the world. Lend your young body to their life-tested principles.

They have more free time. Ever heard of retirement?

They're funny.

They know the Bible. Many have heard preaching and teaching for 50+ years.

They are people. Last time I checked, God loves people and some of them are old. Your church needs more people.

...Long time

Yep, it's been a long time. 2 Sermons and 1 Bible Study a week and the typing tank is empty.

it just _____ right

I remember that my English teachers hated when the reasoning behind why I would punctuate & assemble sentences like I did was because "it just sounded right". I could arrange sentences because I simply knew what well talks sounds like. I never understood why "it just sounds right" wasn't a good method of using correct grammar. Maybe it was because some kids didn't know what "just sounds right" - their parents had terrible grammar - and now they did too. They wanted us to learn rules that explained why they sounded good.

Sometimes in life I find myself doing things just because it feels right. I find myself doing things and knowing that is the the right thing to do, but not always being able to give an explanation. I hate rules, and it appears that Jesus wasn't too thrilled with legalism. Thankfully we can live by the Spirit. So, similiar to poor grammer, what about all of those who had parents with terrible inclinations, do they need to learn the rules so that they can live right? - Yes, but that same Spirit teaches "love God & love your neighbor".